In the past, there is known an image forming apparatus having both of an image forming function of heat-fixing a toner on a sheet to form an image and an image forming function of forming an image on a sheet in an ink jet system.
Concerning the image forming function of performing image formation in the ink jet system, there is also known a configuration that uses an ink that can be erased by heating.
There is known a configuration for, in order to erase an image erasable by heating formed on a sheet in this way and reuse the sheet, erasing the image by heating the sheet with a fixing device included in an image that forms the erasable image.
There is known a configuration for, in an image forming apparatus, for the purpose of a reduction in cost and space saving, realizing processing for heat-fixing a toner and processing for heating an image of the erasable ink to erase the ink using one fixing device (see, for example, JP-A-5-127571 and JP-A-6-301315).
There is known a configuration for applying erasing processing by a fixing device to a sheet on which an image is formed by an erasable ink and then applying image formation processing by the erasable ink to the sheet on which the image is erased by heating.
However, the temperature of the sheet immediately after the image is erased by heating with the fixing device is extremely high. Even if it is attempted to apply the image formation processing by the erasable ink to the sheet immediately after the erasing having such high temperature, in some cases, the erasable ink is erased by the heat of the sheet immediately after the erasing and the image formation processing cannot be normally performed.